The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-07-12
THE COMING ECLIPSE.
American Expeditions to View 1t in
Russia and Japan.

director of the Amherst College Observa-
tory, to Japan to observe the total eclipse of
the sun which is predicted TO occur upon
Aug Is, it required but little persuasion on
his part to induce me to accompany the
party as its naturalist More or less
familiar for years past with the strangely
composite fora and fauna of the Jap
anese islands, not only through reading, but
by the study of specimens from time to time
coming into my possession, hailed the in
vitatiOn of my friend with unfegned salts
faction, and looking up thanked my stars
for the favorable Injunction Of sun and
moon, which, while casting a deep black
shadow upon the earth, is destined, | hope,
to throw light upon several questions which
have exercised the minds not only of astrono-
mers, but also of naturalists.
THE COMING ECLIPSE.
At the outset it may be proper for me to
briefly give an account of the phenomenon
which is drawing us from our Western
homes to the far-off East. The eclipse
which is about to occur is remarkable on ac-
count of the length of the land-line traversed
by the shadow of the moon. Few eclipseS
have, during the present century, furnished
50 many points of observation TO the astrono-
mer; as their pathway, even when equally
long, has been projected upon the surface of
the ocean. The shadow of the moon upon
the present occasion will strike the earth
first at Berlin. The eclipse will be total
there few moments after sunrise. Owing
to the early hour at which totality will he
reached at Berlin, this point is deemed high
ly unfavorable for purposes of observation.
Not only is the hour inauspicious in itself,
but the low lying mists and the refraction
of the atmosphere of the earth are calcu-
lated to vitiate observations. The shadow
track will run to the Northeast from Berlin,
traversing Russia, passing near Moscow,
crossing the Ural Mountains into Siberia
and leaving its dark mark upon the blue
waters of Lake Baikal, near its centre.
It's course will be still eastward over
Mantschuria, south of Vladiwostock, bend
ing gradually southwark across the Sea of
japan and striking Hondo, the main island,
at Nugata. The course of the shadow will
be in a sOutheasterly direction from Nugata
across the island, which it will leave at
Mito, northeast of Toxic, the capital AT
Toxic the eclipse will be nearly, but not
quite total. The only large city upon the
globe which will be favored with vision of
the eclipse at the time of totality is the Ger
man capital, though many large towns and
villages lie along the central pathway of
darkness. The shadow of the moon will
leave the earth some hundreds of miles
southeast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean.
In Russia the eclipse will occur in the
forenoon. At Lake Baikal the sun will be
Ill INC uedNeIlS dJ UIle Ulllle
of totalty In Japan the eclipse takes
place between and o'clock, local time
The duration of the total phase, while not
among the longest on record, compares
favorably with those observed during the
present century. At Lake Baikal the dura-
ton of totality will approach four minutes
1t will diminish eastward and westward
from this point. In Japan the duration of
the total phase Of the eclipse will be three
minutes and fifteen seconds.
The eclipse will be most fully observed in
Russia, that being the point most easily
reached by European astronomers. A num-
Der of observing parties will be made up
among the Russian astronomers, under the
general direction of DR.. Otto Won Strive,
Director of the Imperial Observatory at
Pulkova A number of German, French,
Italian and English astronomers will watch
the eclipse at different points in Russia.
AMERICAN OBSERVING PARTIES.
Two parties will leave America for the
purpose of viewing the eclipseS. Prof.
Young, director of tho Princeton Observa-
tory, is the astronomer in charge of one of
these expeditions and will be accompanied
by his colleagues, Prof. Bracket and Nc
Neill They will make observations north
east of Moscow under the auspices of DR..
Strive. The other American expedition,
and the only one of any nation which will
at the eastern end of the line of
totality, is sent out in charge
of Prof. Todd, under the auspices of the
National Academy of Science and United
States Nautical Almanac Office, of which
Prof. Simon Newcombe is Superintendent.
Prof. Todd Is accompanied by his accom-
plished wife. The botanical and geological
works of the expedition will be in the charge
of the writer.
The work of the Japan expedition being
designed to be largely Photographic an at
tempt being in contemplation to secure
larger photographs of the corona of the sun
than have yet been made, the expedition
will be reinforced upon its arrival by a
number of photographers whose services
will be secured in Japan.
The exact point of observation will be de-
termined upon arrival in Toxic, where ac-
cess may be had to the extended series of
meteorological records which have been
kept for number of years in the same
manner in which such records are kept by
the United States army signal office. The
location will, however, most probably be at
Nikko, the burial place of the Shogems,
concerning which the japanese have a say
ing, Let no man say the word beautiful till
he has seen Mike" and where not only is
there a salubrious climate, but suf-
ficient elevation above the sea fogs
to secure a good sky. Nikko is about
ninety miles northwest of Toxic, i'll the
interior. Other elements besides the me
neurological enter into the determination of
u site at which to set up the instruments of
the expedition one of the most important
being that of transportation. The instru-
ments which we carry with us weigh full
ton, so it will certainly not be easy TO trans
port them over japanese roads in the print
tive conveyances which are still in use in
the greater part of the country. Think of
toting a ton of telescopes upon travelling
chairs Another important matter will be
to secure point from which Geographic
communication may be had with other
points of observation.
USING THE TELEGRAPH.
Prof. Todd has suggested that in case any
discovery requiring veritication is made by
Observers TO the West they employ the tele-
graph to communicate with observers in the
East, who will be in position to verify or
reject the discovery This proposition to
employ the telegraph in the manner indi-
Gated was first made by Prof Todd in a
paper published in the proceedings of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
for 1880, and has since been renewed
In paper published in the american
Jo,un0t Of Science for March,
1887 1t is a remarkable fact that
the line of totality in tho case of the APP
proachng eclipse follows for nearly its en-
tire length the line of the Russian overland
telegraph, which, reaching the sea at Vladi-
vostoCk, is connected with the japanese
lines by cable to Hakodadi and NagaSaki.